With Jude Bellingham turning into an integral part of Dortmund and England, you might be thinking he is the best player Birmingham would ever offer, well you might have to think again… The next in line to carry the Bellingham name to glory is Jobe Bellingham, Jude’s younger brother who is just 16 right now and has already made headway into Birmingham’s senior team. The younger Bellingham is all set to sign his first pro-contract with Birmingham.
Jude Bellingham was so good for Birmingham that the club retired his jersey after his departure. According to noises coming from the club, his brother might be even better. Therefore, getting him to sign pro terms with the club is a huge win. So, who is Jobe Bellingham, and why is he so highly rated?
Blues are pleased to announce that @j_bellingham has agreed personal terms on a professional contract. 🙌
— Birmingham City FC (@BCFC) July 16, 2022
Who is Jobe Bellingham?
Like his elder brother, Jobe Bellingham too has risen through the ranks of the Birmingham academy over the years and for the first time ever, was featured in Birmingham’s senior team during their Carabao Cup clash against Colchester last season. Jobe was on the bench the whole game but if he would have featured for them on the pitch, he would have broken Jude Bellinham’s record for becoming the youngest ever player who has played for Birmingham. Jobe Bellingham ended up making two appearances in the Championship last season, totalling 37 minutes. He has now gotten a taste of it. Next season could be his breakout year. However, he couldn’t break Jude’s record for being the youngest player. He came in 2nd on that list instead.
Same surname, different players
Jobe shares the same surname and height as his brother but other than that, their footballing skills and position are quite different. Jobe mainly plays as a right-winger but is comfortable on both the flanks and can even fill in a central attacking role since he is good with both feet. For the U18 squad, Jobe played 10 games and he scored 5 goals which earned him an appearance in the U23 squad as well. He laid out one assist in 13 games at the PL2 level.
Jude is pacey and agile on the wings and has good technical ability in his dribbling and shooting game. Jobe has just started his professional footballing career but he will soon make headlines after he finds a good run of form and an opportunity to show his talent at a bigger stage.
Jobe Bellingham for England?
Second England Cap Vs Belgium🏴🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/guFeDaFOyV
— Jobe Bellingham (@j_bellingham) February 11, 2020
Jobe has made it into the youth level of the national team. He was part of their U15 side and he recently joined their U17 side, a team that has produced a number of top players like Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho and even his brother. Jude made it into the senior squad under Southgate and he also played for them in the Euros this summer. Although Jobe might not hit that level so soon, a senior team call-up is well on the cards in the next few years. He has already made eight appearances for the England U17s. So far, he is behind his elder brother in terms of career progression. However, these things are never linear. Jobe is highly rated and not for nothing.
Signing the first pro-contract is a good first step and now the challenge is to make a first-team breakthrough.